20170422 IRRESISTIBLE POWER OF GRACE
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 4:13-21 ©
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The rulers, elders
and scribes were astonished at the assurance shown by Peter and John,
considering they were uneducated laymen; and they recognised them as associates
of Jesus; but when they saw the man who had been cured standing by their side,
they could find no answer. So they ordered them to stand outside while the
Sanhedrin had a private discussion. ‘What are we going to do with these men?’
they asked. ‘It is obvious to everybody in Jerusalem that a miracle has been
worked through them in public, and we cannot deny it. But to stop the whole
thing spreading any further among the people, let us caution them never to
speak to anyone in this name again.’
So they
called them in and gave them a warning on no account to make statements or to
teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John retorted, ‘You must judge
whether in God’s eyes it is right to listen to you and not to God. We cannot
promise to stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard.’ The court repeated
the warnings and then released them; they could not think of any way to punish
them, since all the people were giving glory to God for what had happened.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
117(118):1,14-21 ©
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I will thank you,
Lord, for you have given answer.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
Give thanks to the
Lord for he is good,
for his
love has no end.
The Lord is my
strength and my song;
he was my
saviour.
There are shouts of
joy and victory
in the
tents of the just.
I will thank you,
Lord, for you have given answer.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord’s right hand
has triumphed;
his right
hand raised me up.
I shall not die, I
shall live
and
recount his deeds.
I was punished, I was
punished by the Lord,
but not
doomed to die.
I will thank you,
Lord, for you have given answer.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
Open to me the gates
of holiness:
I will
enter and give thanks.
This is the Lord’s
own gate
where the
just may enter.
I will thank you for
you have answered
and you
are my saviour.
I will thank you,
Lord, for you have given answer.
or
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps117:24
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Alleluia, alleluia!
This day was made by
the Lord:
we rejoice and are
glad.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 16:9-15 ©
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Having risen in the
morning on the first day of the week, Jesus appeared first to Mary of Magdala
from whom he had cast out seven devils. She then went to those who had been his
companions, and who were mourning and in tears, and told them. But they did not
believe her when they heard her say that he was alive and that she had seen
him.
After
this, he showed himself under another form to two of them as they were on their
way into the country. These went back and told the others, who did not believe
them either.
Lastly,
he showed himself to the Eleven themselves while they were at table. He
reproached them for their incredulity and obstinacy, because they had refused
to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. And he said to them, ‘Go
out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.’
IRRESISTIBLE
POWER OF GRACE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [
ACTS 4:13-21; PS 117:1,14-21; MARK 16:9-15 ]
It is man’s nature to want to be in
control of their lives. This was the sin of Adam and Eve. The devil
promised them that if they ate the forbidden fruit, “your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gn 3:5) That is why we do
not like situations that are unpredictable. We want our lives to run like
clockwork, precise and in a mechanical manner. We hate surprises because
it means upsetting our program and our schedule. Things must go according
to our way and according to our plan. This, too, was the attitude of the
Jewish leaders. They sought to be in control of the situation and to
ensure that everyone toed the line. The scriptures clearly spelt out the
laws, and the traditions had kept the Jews together for centuries. So,
too, the Romans were always fearful of rebellion, social and political
upheavals.
But this God is a God of surprises.
He does not follow the laws all the time! Not even the laws of
nature! Indeed, we are always being challenged to think out of the
box. This God works out of the box and brings us new situations that we
have no control over. When the Jewish leaders saw “the man who had been
cured standing by their side, they could find no answer.” Indeed, no
human, scientific or natural explanation could be found. They themselves
admitted this fact. “It is obvious to everybody in Jerusalem that a
miracle has been worked through them in public, and we cannot deny it.”
This was also the experience of the
apostles in encountering the power of grace. They initially could not
believe in the resurrection of Jesus. They were “in mourning and in
tears!” When Mary Magdalene and the two disciples from Emmaus recounted
their encounter with the Risen Lord, they did not believe them. Only when
the Lord appeared to them, did they come to believe. “He reproached them
for their incredulity and obstinacy, because they had refused to believe those
who had seen him after he had risen.” We can appreciate their reluctance
because it was too good to be true, and it was a trans-historical event.
Their fears, sadness and despair prevented them from looking beyond the fact of
the crucifixion. Once again, one has to drop all logic and human
reasoning to accept this event of encountering the Risen Lord.
Furthermore, this encounter was beyond description as they were encountering
someone that came from the future to the present.
In the face of the power of grace, we can
take two approaches. One is to reject and the other is to accept.
The Jewish leaders took the path of denial and rejection. “So they
ordered them to stand outside while the Sanhedrin had a private discussion.
‘What are we going to do with these men?’ they asked.” And the decision
reached was “to stop the whole thing spreading any further among the people,
let us caution them never to speak to anyone in this name again.” Instead
of dealing and reflecting on the marvelous event, they sought to quash it for
fear of losing their status quo, their position in society and their
institutions. And they knew that they were wrong. Instead, “the
court repeated the warnings and then released them; they could not think of any
way to punish them, since all the people were giving glory to God for what had
happened.” They refused to recognize the facts that were so obvious
before their eyes.
How true for many of us as well.
When we see miracles happening, we still do not want to admit that it is the
power of grace and the power of God. There are many agnostics who would
not surrender themselves to the power of grace. They see the facts and
conclude that science cannot explain, but they would not ascribe the event to
the power of God’s grace at work in their lives. We are simply too proud
to submit to a higher authority because we think we are in control and we have
the answers to everything. Human pride and fear are the causes of
unbelief.
The other response is to bow down before
the power of God, as St Peter asks of us. “Humble yourselves therefore
under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you.” (1 Pt 5:6) That was
what the apostles did even when they were under threat not to repeat what they
said and especially “on no account to make statements or to teach in the
name of Jesus. But Peter and John retorted, ‘You must judge whether in God’s
eyes it is right to listen to you and not to God. We cannot promise to stop
proclaiming what we have seen and heard.’” For the apostles, it was clear
that the healing of the crippled man was the power of God, regardless whether
they believed it or not. It was in the name of the Lord Jesus that the
man was healed. Indeed, if we have seen and heard the power of God at
work in our lives, there is no way for us to remain quiet. This in itself
is the proof of the work of God! The grace of God is irresistible and
overwhelming for anyone who encounters Him.
So, what brought about the powerful grace
of God? What gave the apostles who were uneducated, ordinary men such boldness,
courage and confidence to preach the Good News about Jesus? The cause of
their radical change, they came to realize, was that they were simply
“associates of Jesus.” Indeed, those who associated with Jesus were
radically transformed after the resurrection and the bestowal of the Holy
Spirit. Their fears were removed completely and they could stand tall
before the Jewish leaders testifying to the power of the Risen Lord. Once,
they were fearful of the authorities and afraid of suffering and
prosecution. But now they were ready to suffer anything for the Lord
Jesus. We can explain such radical change only because they walked with
Jesus, they saw Him, they loved Him and they were inspired by Him and, last but
not least, they encountered Him alive after being put to death. The
resurrection as the radical expression of grace was enough to transform their
lives radically.
This means that if we are to see the
Risen Lord in our lives, the first thing we need to do is to associate with
Jesus! Unless we are in contact with Jesus, reading the scriptures,
studying about the faith, reading spiritual books and making contact with the
disciples of Christ, we cannot know Jesus sufficiently to have faith in Him.
Hearing and seeing open our hearts and minds to the grace of God. This is
the purpose of preaching;to help potential believers to respond to the grace of
God. That is why sharing of faith among Catholics, finding a faith
community for spiritual and moral support is so critical for anyone who wants
to be an associate of Christ. Where is Christ today if not in His Church,
in the liturgy, in the priests and in their fellow Catholics?
This, however, is just the first
stage. The second stage to respond to grace is through intimacy and
love. It is significant to take note that it was not to Peter that the
Risen Lord first appeared but to “Mary of Magdala from whom he had cast out
seven devils.” St Peter was using too much of his head, logic and
reasoning. But the Lord appeared to those who loved Him. Mary
Magdalene had been forgiven much and liberated from her severe bondages to her
sins and her past. For that, she loved Jesus deeply and
passionately. She was the first to arrive at the Tomb on Sunday.
She could not wait to see Jesus, even if He were just a corpse.
Love enables us to see the Lord that reason cannot. Jesus said, “He who
loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to
him.” (Jn 14:21)
So today, we are invited to come to God
not through reason but in faith and in love. Only faith and love can
allow the grace of God to open our hearts and our minds. It is not wrong
to have a rationalizing and empirical spirit, but it should come only after the
experience of the power of grace. We are called to take the leap of
faith, relying not on our own strength but the power of God. If we behave
like the Sanhedrin, we will end up fighting against God. The question of Peter
is also ours when he retorted, “Whether it is right in the sight of God for us
to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to
speak about what we have seen and heard.” We ignore the power of grace to
our disadvantage. Those who seek to smother grace will be the ones who
will lose out to the greater things of life that the Lord wants to offer them.
Written by The Most
Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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